30 ICONS FESTIVAL Tommy Fleming WELCOMELooking for Irish Connections in TOAmerica? ICONSYou'll find enough ofFESTIVAL them at this year's ICONS Festival to fill almost 50 acres - and then some, writes Sean Smith. CONS, or Irish Connections (the name by which the 17-year- their own, very individual brands of rock and roll energy to the old festival has more recently been known), represents a bold festivities. And don't forget "Harpalooza," ICONS' salute to the Iand ambitious new course for the event, celebrating the cultural Celtic harp. directions of Ireland in its emergence as one of the most prosperous Sitting and listening to music is all very well, but at this gathering and influential countries in the world. So, once you walk through you are encouraged to get up and dance to it? You'll have the the gate at the festival site, the Irish Cultural Center of New opportunity to sample Irish and other Celtic social dancing in England in Canton, Mass, just South of Boston., and you'll two different fashions: with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Boston's experience Ireland on a global scale. branch of the venerable worldwide organisation that for more Start with the music, long at the heart of the festival since its than five decades has preserved Irish music in Ireland, America inception: Performers in this year's line-up run the gamut from Cara Dillon rock to country to all matter of traditional influences, and can be enjoyed on a newly built, 8,000-capacity space inside the multi- tented festival grounds. There are rock and folk heavyweights such as The Black Crowes, the Saw Doctors, Nanci Griffith and the post-punk emerging superstars (most recently featured on the soundtrack to The Departed) Dropkick Murphy’s, as well as genuine Irish stars like Dervish, and Mick Moloney. How about Altan, Cara Dillon, and the Prodigals, the all-female, Appalachian revivalists Uncle Earl, and German-American Antje Duvekot, whose acclaimed breakthrough album was produced by Seamus Egan of Solas? ICONS also features a spectacular array of vocalists, representing a variety of genres from contemporary to traditional and all stops in between: Danny Doyle, Cara Dillon, Jimmy Crowley, Tommy Fleming, Eddi Reader, The Roches, Dennis Brennan, Heidi Talbot, John Spillane and Niamh Parsons. Then, in keeping with the connections theme, there are the performers who take Irish and other Celtic-influenced traditions to their acoustic roots, and to exciting, innovative directions. Liz Carroll and John Doyle, Kevin Burke, Matt and Shannon Heaton, Bruce Molsky, Cherish the Ladies, Paddy Keenan and Peter Molloy, The Maeve Gilchrist Trio, Nightingale, the Marie and Martin Reilly Quartet, Johnny B. Connolly and Beoga. One of Irish music's greatest "ambassadors," Tommy Makem, will be honoured with a special tribute hosted by Mick Moloney and Danny Doyle. Black 47, The Tossers, Enter the Haggis, The Guggenheim Grotto, Mr North, Baby Jenks and Tempest add ICONS FESTIVAL 31 Nanci Griffith and throughout the world; prompted the ICONS Festival to expand its commitment to and at the Boston Urban exploring the roots of one’s heritage. While a particular emphasis Ceilidh, which offers a is placed on Irish genealogy at this festival, the resources and modern-day, rocking twist wonderful volunteer staff of organizations like Tiara who are to the dance tradition. dedicated to assisting in genealogical research will include more The world of traditional generalized guidance to such efforts – irrespective of national dance, of course, has been origin. an intrinsic part of the The Irish language is one of the oldest and richest in the world Irish culture for literally and will receive particular attention at ICONS. Having survived thousands of years. In centuries of persecution and neglect it is now generating new recent times, the more levels of interest in the US. Still the vernacular of significant areas straight-laced, stylised of Ireland, the language is in a distinct state of renewal. At ICONS, dancing of the past has Gaelic will be celebrated in many forms, spoken word, sean-nos been invigorated by the singing and dancing. This will all occur in and around an authentic crossover creativity of replica of an Irish thatched cottage on the festival site. Broadway productions like Since pre-Christian times, sports have been a feature of Irish Riverdance and Lord of the life. The native games of hurling and Gaelic football have been Dance. The ICONS Festival will celebrate Irish Connections in symbols of a proud heritage of Ireland for generations. Today, dance in all its diverse glory. these games are played extensively in the United States and For example, there will be presentations on American women weekly seen at the Irish Cultural Center of New England. The in sean-nós ("old style") dancing, hosted and coordinated by American branch of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) will Boston resident Kieran Jordan, a groundbreaking dancer, instructor stage highly competitive games of hurling and football played by and choreographer, who will be joined by Maldon Meehan, both men and women through the weekend. Explanations and Alicia Guinn and Shannon Dunne. Kieran and each of these exhibitions of the origins and currency of the games will also be special guests will teach and perform, accompanied by live on display. music, with a panel discussion and even opportunities for informal Tír na nÓg literally means "land of the young," and comes from performances by other sean-nós dancers and students. a wonderful Irish mythology about such a place. This part of Ireland has always had a one of the richest literary traditions in ICONS Festival activities will emphasise our younger visitors the world. Names like Yeats, Kavanagh, Joyce, O’Casey, Synge, with story-telling, musical performances, educational activities, Heaney, and Friel have become ICONS in the literary world. The puppets, and special characters. ICONS Festival will celebrate this rich and diverse literary tradition Rock-and-rollers, die-hard trad music buffs, festival veterans, with several presentations by authors themselves and reading first-timers, young, old, Irish, non-Irish, ICONS 2007 makes all programs at the festival. the connections. Among those appearing will be Peter Quinn, discussing his newly published collection of essays, Looking for Jimmy: A Sean Smith is an editor and writer at Boston College, Search for Irish America, which traces the life and times of New a part-time musician, singer and morris dancer, and works with York's Irish; and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, several folk music and dance organisations in Greater Boston, whose recent book Senior Season: A Father, A Son and High including the Boston Celtic Music Festival. School Baseball is a fond look at family, sports and growing up. His e-mail address is [email protected]. An amazing growth of interest in the area of genealogy has Altan 32 ICONS FESTIVAL Uncle Earle COUNTDOWNThe philosophy behind the new ICONS Festival TO is simple. TheICONS goal is to merge history 07 and modernism to make this a unique event based in Irish culture but extending to a much wider world, writes Steve Morse. his is a gathering, almost in an ancient sense, like a outside of Ireland, so it's great to see them take this to another gathering of the clans,'' says ICONS producer, Brian level.'' Fresh momentum has come from a new partnership “TO'Donovan. "But it's a gathering of artists and also between O'Donovan (who also hosts a Celtic radio show on musicians with the same level of respect paid to a singer from WGBH-FM), the Irish Cultural Centre, and national concert Minnesota as to one from Galway. The same respect will be promoters Live Nation, which has helped enlist the Dropkicks, given to Nanci Griffith as to Altan and everyone else.'' Black Crowes, and Griffith. And more respect is being paid to ICONS itself, which has Black Crowes earned it with a quantum leap in talent this year. Lured to its 50- acre site at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England In Canton, Massachusetts just south of Boston, for a three-day celebration Aug. 10-12 are not just Griffith and Altan, but contemporary giants like the Black Crowes, Saw Doctors, and Dropkick Murphys, plus traditional legends from Tommy Makem to Mick Moloney. "The line-up sounds great to me. It should be great fun!'' says Dervish singer Cathy Jordan, whose group recently represented Ireland in the Eurovision song contest. The ICONS fest, an outgrowth of the Irish Connections Festival is embracing modern times with a relish this season. A big coup is the booking of Dropkick Murphys, the Boston-based, world- renowned, punk-rock 'n' folk band that can't wait to play for the various clans. It may be the first time that moshing comes to the event, but that's a rite of passage that many festivals, Irish-based or not, have dealt with. "We've done Irish festivals in other parts of the country, in Chicago and New York and this is a great opportunity for us to play to a different crowd that might not always come see us in a nightclub,'' says Ken Casey, bassist with the Dropkicks. "We're talking about the fathers of some of our fans, but also much younger teens and probably down to eight-year-olds, too. "There will be a wider variety of people than we're used to, but if Irish festivals are going to continue to strive to succeed, they need to bring in a younger crowd, with new blood. So that's what we hope to do,'' says Casey. "It's good to see Boston step up with this event.